one degree of separation
by DiscordianSamba
Summary: In a universe where one paladin fell through the cracks, there yet remains a tenuous thread between them.
1. part one

What's this? A new story? Yes, it is! To be more specific, this is part of a two part prologue to a much longer story that I have planned by the working title of _flicker_. It, of course, involves a what if scenario- what if Shiro and Keith had never met, and consequently, what if Keith never became a paladin? It'll mostly be focused on Keith and his time on Earth during the Galra invasion- I'm really excited to get a chance to really focus on writing Adam and Veronica, because yes, Adam will live, because I say so, dammit.

But there's also so much backstory I want to establish without just waving it all off, so! Prologue! Prequel! Whatever you call it, this is it. The first part is, of course, from Keith's POV, and the second part will be from a mixed bag- but not Keith's. I wanted to kind of keep the idea of Keith having this "one degree of separation" from the paladins- give him a connection but keep him on the literal fringes of their lives.

So here you go!

* * *

one degree of separation

part one

* * *

His knuckles are still throbbing during the ride back.

The person who came to pick him up from the orphanage isn't even talking to him. He's been doing this long enough to know that isn't a good sign. There's no lecture, no one saying how disappointed they are- not even any yelling.

Just silence.

Which suits him just fine. Folding his arms in front of him, he ignores the pain in his knuckles, and instead focuses on the window. He's in a lot better condition than the other guy, who, as far as he was concerned, got what was coming to him.

Sure, maybe breaking James Griffin's jaw hadn't exactly done him any favors, but at least this way, he'd never be able to mouth off to him about his parents again. Sure, that was just because he'd been expelled- but it had been a fucking terrible school anyways.

When they get back to the orphanage, he's met with the steely gaze of its matron. All she does is tell him to go to his room, and he does so without saying anything. Tossing his backpack on the bed, he collapses on it right after. Closing his eyes, he buried his head into his pillow, the throbbing in his knuckles having already started to fade.

He should probably just go ahead and pack.

There's no way he's staying here any longer after this. He doesn't know where they'll ship him next, but it doesn't matter. Wherever it is, it'll probably just be more of the same.

At least James' parents hadn't pressed charges.

Rolling over on his back, Keith stared up at the bunk right above him. Nobody actually used it, mostly because nobody wanted to sleep in close proximity to him. There were two other kids in the same room as him, but they all wanted nothing to do with him. Which, fine by him- he was used to that sort of thing.

Nobody wanted to bother with the _discipline case_.

Maybe he'd at least get shipped off somewhere interesting this time. There was nothing in this town but a worn down old library and a public park that was begging for some money to be spent on it for a change. Nothing interesting. Nothing that managed to catch his attention.

Blowing out a breath, Keith rested his arms over his face. Guess he'd be missing the guest speaker. If he'd just kept his act together for one more day, then maybe he could have seen _Takashi Shirogane_ face to face- but fine, whatever. He wasn't that interested in him anyways.

It's not like a mess like him could ever get into the Garrison.

Sitting up, Keith frowned. Swinging his legs off his bed, he looked towards the door with narrowed eyes. It was way too early for anyone else to be coming home yet, so...

Getting up, he opened the drawer of his little desk. Taking out the scant belongings he had in it- mostly a notebook and an old photo album, from better days- he scratched at the back edge of the bottom of the drawer. After a bit of fussing, it finally came loose, giving way.

Pulling away the false bottom he'd put in, he grinned. He knew that if anyone found him with this, they'd take it away from him for sure, which was why he went to such lengths to hide it. After all, the resident problem child with a knife? Who wanted to deal with that?

But it was his _father's_ knife, and like hell was he ever going to let anyone take it away from him. He'd left it to him- said something about it being important. It kind of sounded like he'd wanted to say something else, but he hadn't gotten the chance.

Brow furrowing, he tried not to think about it. His father had been dead for years now. There was no point in getting hung up over his death. He'd done a great thing, he knew that- mostly because he was constantly reminded of it.

People would always talk about it. How such a hero could end up with such a _disappointment_ for a son. Maybe it had something to do with his mother, they'd say. The one he knew nothing about, not even a name. She hadn't even been listed on his birth certificate. It was like she didn't even exist.

Whenever he'd asked his father about her, he would just tell him that she had to leave. That it hadn't been her choice. That she'd loved him. He didn't know how much of that he believed- his father wasn't a liar, but he was also kind. What kind of asshole would he have to be to tell his kid that his mother had just walked out on them like they were trash?

He didn't know if that was true either, though.

Grabbing the knife, he picked up his backpack. Pulling out the textbooks that he wouldn't need anymore, he shoved the knife inside the pack, before covering it with some clothes. If he was going to be leaving here, he might as well pack it away while he still had the chance. Zipping up the bag, he put the drawer back together, before collapsing back on his bed.

Shutting his eyes, he ignored the growl of his stomach, that reminded him he hadn't eaten lunch yet. Now probably wouldn't be a good time to try and grab anything- but whatever. It wasn't the first time he'd gone without food. Probably wouldn't be the last, either.

That was just how things went.

Hoping for anything else was just naive.

* * *

Sure enough, the process to transfer him elsewhere began the very next day.

It wasn't until a week later that he was actually moved, though. Packed into a car with what meager belongings he had, and shipped off. He wasn't going far- literally to the next town over.

Plaht City. Well, at least it had more going for it than where he'd just been. It was the last real town before the Galaxy Garrison, whose property stretched out for miles into the desert.

It was also closer than he had ever been to home.

Just thinking about it made something in him ache. He had to fight it back. He couldn't afford to show that kind of weakness. He knew that.

Even if the orphanage matron had greeted him kindly, he knew that sort of thing didn't last. He'd just asked her where he'd be staying, and promptly shut himself off in his new room. The volunteer who had driven him out here frankly just looked like they were glad to be rid of him.

Well, same to him.

From the sound of it, he'd be staying in the same room with four other kids. The matron had made the effort to introduce them, but he didn't really listen. Didn't matter.

It wasn't like anything was going to change.

* * *

"How's the homework coming?"

Keith barely spared a glance towards the volunteer- _Colleen_ , or something- instead focusing his gaze on the very blank sheet of paper that was supposed to be his essay. "Fine."

It was a blatant, bold faced lie. He knew it. She knew it. Didn't matter. Most people took his cold shoulder as a sign that he didn't want to be bothered, and would just brush him off. There were other kids who actually _wanted_ the help.

"Are you writing it in invisible ink?

Blinking, Keith frowned. Lifting his head, he actually spared the woman a look, his brows knitting together. "What?"

She merely nodded towards his blank piece of paper. "I said, are you writing it in invisible ink?"

He stared at her like she was crazy. She didn't even bat an eye. "No?"

"Then it doesn't seem to be going very well." Colleen noted. "What's the topic?"

Oh. Right. She was one of _those_.

One of the ones who thought they could _fix_ him. Probably had heard about him from the matron or one of the other staff members. Something along the lines of being passed from home to home, getting expelled from his previous school- someone who just needed a little extra attention paid to him, or some nauseating bullshit like that. Like he was some kind of pity case, just another orphan with a sob story.

Well, whatever- they usually gave up before long. He wasn't here to be _pitied_.

"The Calypso mission to Jupiter's moons." Keith told her.

"Oh, well in that case, move over." Colleen said, already moving to take a seat, leaving him with little choice but to do so. "My husband helped build that shuttle."

And that he did blink at. "He- your husband's in the Garrison?"

It was a stupid question, he knew. Most of the people who lived here had _some_ kind of involvement with the Garrison. Usually the family of either the staff or the instructors.

Colleen merely hummed. "He's one of their top engineers. Right now he's working on the shuttle for the Kerberos mission."

The mission to Pluto's moon. Right, he'd heard about that. It was the one that Takashi Shirogane was supposed to fly. It wasn't supposed to launch for another two years- but all that prep work took time, and anticipation for it was high.

"So, what subject is this essay for?" Colleen asked.

Again, he just stared at her. "Science?"

What other subject would it be?

"Just making sure." She said simply. "You never know. I've got two kids myself, and sometimes the assignments they bring back from school are the strangest things."

Coming to volunteer with orphans when she already had two kids of her own. She was either the type that wanted to give something back to her community, or she just really liked kids. Probably the former- the latter usually worked with the younger kids, who at this hour would usually be outside for the effective equivalent of recess.

Keith just stared back down at his paper. "I don't really need the help."

It was true, he didn't. He just hated writing essays, that was all.

"Not a fan of essays?" Colleen guessed.

"Yeah, something like that." Keith told her.

More like it was _school_ he had the issue with. It wasn't like he couldn't _do_ the work- not to brag, but he was pretty smart. It was just most of the time, he didn't _want_ to. Didn't see the point. It all just started to seem like busywork after awhile.

Frankly, he was considering dropping out. Once he turned sixteen, he wouldn't even have to get consent to do it, and that was barely even a year away.

"Mm," Colleen hummed again, "-Katie's the same."

He just frowned at that, continuing to stare down at his paper. He'd experienced stuff like this before- people trying to _relate_ to him. Most of it was insincere, so he had learned to brush it off. But Colleen sounded... well, earnest.

For now, at least.

"Look," Keith began, "-I can finish this on my own. So thanks, but like I said, I really don't need the help."

Tilting her head, Colleen appeared to assess him. "You sure?"

Wordlessly nodding his head, Keith just hoped she'd go away. He knew better at this point than to open his heart to anyone. It never ended well. No matter how nice they seemed, they always found something wrong with him.

And there was a lot wrong with him.

Between his temper and his various assorted physical oddities, there was always something about him that would put people off. He got it- he knew he wasn't normal, that there was something about him that just didn't blend in with people, but there was nothing he could do about it. Sure, maybe he could work on his temper, but the other stuff?

It wasn't like he could make his bones less dense, or do anything about his above average physical strength and flexibility. When he had been living with his father, he hadn't even known that stuff was weird- but apparently, it was. Enough to have every caregiver that had ever been put in charge of him mutter at his medical records in disbelief.

Colleen frowned, not entirely looking convinced. "Well, if you're sure. But let me know if you change your mind."

Nodding his head again, Keith watched out of the corner of his eye as she got up off the bench, moving on to another one of the kids. Closing his eyes, he let out a long breath, wondering if he had made the right choice- but whatever. That would probably be the end of it.

* * *

It wasn't the end of it.

Colleen Holt was, if nothing else, persistent. Doggedly so.

But he was just as stubborn. Sure, some part of him had realized that maybe he didn't need to try and push away her attempts at being helpful- and sometimes, when he was in the right mood, he would even accept them. It was just that he had spent so much time pushing people away that he couldn't imagine letting someone in at this point.

Eventually, she'd be disappointed in him too.

When he announced he was going to drop out of school, he was pretty sure that would do it. She was always so focused on education- she was exceptionally bright, he could tell that much from the ease she helped everyone with their homework, across the board on all subjects- that he thought for sure that telling her he was dropping out would once and for all convince her that she had been wasting her time on him.

That he was a failure.

Instead, she just looked at him in consideration.

"Why?"

Why? Blinking, Keith frowned. He'd kind of expected to be asked that, but he'd expected it to be... well, more demanding. The matron of the orphanage sure as heck had been, though she'd accepted it in the end.

He was pretty sure she'd given up on him too. Probably just figured it was better to let him do what he wanted, since he'd be out of her hair in another two years or so.

He wasn't afraid of aging out of the system, or even worried about where he would go once he did. He had found the remains of his old family home out in the desert, taking out a hoverbike to find it. It had dwindled down just to the shack, but the water still worked, and it wasn't like the desert heat had ever bothered him. He could probably just live there.

"School's not for me." Keith told her. "Thought I might just get a job."

Tilting her head, Colleen frowned. Ah. Here it came. The disappointment.

"You know," Colleen began, "-I have a friend who's looking for someone to work part time around his shop."

Blinking, Keith wasn't sure he'd heard her right. "I- what?"

Nodding her head, Colleen just smiled. "I said, I have a friend who's looking for-"

"No, I heard that." Keith cut her off. "It's just... aren't you disappointed?"

Colleen just blinked. "It's your decision. I'm assuming you put some thought into it."

He had, actually. He'd been looking up jobs for the past three weeks, trying to find something that would work for him. Customer service was obviously out, but there had to be something he could do. He was pretty good with his hands, not to mention heavy lifting thanks to his freak strength, so he'd been thinking maybe finding a job in construction- if they would even hire a sixteen year old.

"I thought you'd tell me to stay in school." Keith said, feeling a little a dumb.

"Like you said," Colleen began, "-school's not for everyone."

Frowning, Keith's brows knit together. "So... this friend of yours."

"He runs a small mechanic shop. Repairs, mostly." Colleen said. "Lovely man. But overworked. And I know you're good with your hands."

Chewing on his lip, Keith dropped his gaze. He didn't know. It sounded like it could be a good fit, but depending on someone's generosity like this... it didn't sound like him. Sure, maybe as a ward of the state, that was what he had been doing for like, the past several years, but it had never felt like _generosity_ \- more like they were just putting up with him because they legally _had_ to.

But the faster he got a job, the better.

"I- okay."

Nodding her head, Colleen looked pleased. "I'll give him a call this afternoon. How's your schedule for next week?"

Keith just frowned. "Free?"

He wouldn't be in school, after all.

"Good." Colleen said. "I'll see if he can pencil you in for an interview."

At the word _interview_ , Keith stiffened. Somehow in his hurry to drop out, he'd completely forgotten that getting a job was generally something that involved being _interviewed_. Which he wasn't exactly great at.

Sensing his nerves, Colleen just smiled. "Don't worry. He doesn't bite."

* * *

Tsuyoshi Garrett was large.

His father had been large too, but... differently. He didn't know how to put it. The mechanic was both round and square, at the same time.

(You see? This was why he was bad at essays. Words were not his forte.)

His hand basically dwarfed Keith's when he shook it. It kind of didn't matter that he was confident he had more physical strength, when he totally didn't look it.

"So, Colleen tells me you're looking for a job." Tsuyoshi said, resting on his desk. It was strewn with half-finished projects, that he couldn't begin to guess if they were something he'd been hired to work on, or just personal ones.

"I- yeah." Keith said, resisting the urge to twiddle his thumbs. Just because Colleen had gone out of her way to recommenced him, didn't mean this was a sure thing. He knew better than to believe that, especially when there _had_ to be more qualified candidates out there.

Sure, he'd fixed up his dad's hoverbike himself, and he'd been tinkering with things around the shack on the rare weekends he managed to slip out that far, but that didn't mean he had any actual _training_. He didn't even know what half the stuff he worked with was, just what they did.

Tsuyoshi just folded his arms in front of him, looking him up and down like he was trying to size him up. He wasn't going to lie, it made him a bit nervous. Not nearly enough to trigger his fight or flight response, but... nervous.

(Although in his case, it was more of just a _fight_ response. He'd never run from a fight, even when he maybe really should have.)

"She tells me you're good with your hands."

"I guess?" Keith frowned. "I fixed up my dad's old hoverbike."

"Yeah?" Tsuyoshi asked, taking an interest. "What's the make?"

"I, uh, don't really know." Keith confessed.

"But you fixed it anyways?" Tsuyoshi asked.

"...yes?" Keith half-asked, wondering if that was the wrong thing to say. He was probably _supposed_ to know stuff like that.

Tsuyoshi merely gave him a little nod of his head. "You willing to learn?"

"Yes." Keith said, maybe a little too quickly.

If he had, then Tsuyoshi didn't seem to think anything of it. "Sounds good to me. Think you can start tomorrow?"

Blinking, Keith just stared at him for a long moment, before slowly nodding his head. "I- yes. I can do that."

Pushing himself up off his desk, Tsuyoshi patted him on the shoulder. Keith couldn't help but think that his hand could probably fit over both his shoulders at the same time. "Good. Come in around eight, I'll get you started. Make sure to wear clothes you don't care about."

That covered nearly all of his clothes, so that wouldn't be a problem.

But also- had... had he just gotten a job? Just like that?

No. He refused to believe it was that easy. There was another shoe, and it was bound to drop at some point.

* * *

The shoe never dropped.

He kept expecting it to, but it never did. As a boss, Tsuyoshi was an understanding one. Maybe a little too understanding. He barely even raised a brow the first time he saw him lift something twice as heavy as what he looked like he could, and didn't get frustrated with him when he had trouble determining the difference between the _teal_ car and the _blue_ car when two had been brought into the shop at the same time.

(His long distance and night vision were fantastic. His color vision? Not so much. It wasn't that he couldn't see color, it was just everything looked _muted_ to him.)

Keith's role meant that he basically didn't have to interact with customers too often, except to direct them to Tsuyoshi's office, which was probably for the best. All he had to do was sit around and tinker. He learned, and quick. He got the sense the man was used to teaching, like he'd done it all before.

Turned out, he had- Tsuyoshi had a son around his age, maybe a year younger. He was studying to be an engineer at the Galaxy Garrison. He beamed with pride whenever he spoke of him, and with a pang, Keith couldn't help but think of his own father.

He wondered if he'd be proud of him.

He hoped so. Maybe this wasn't the life he'd hoped he'd lead, but at least he was doing something with it. Or trying to, at least.

The pay was decent enough. It wasn't like he had much to spend it on- fuel for his hoverbike, mostly. Clothes. He'd be able to save it up- for what, he didn't know. It wasn't like he'd have to pay any bills when he moved into the shack.

(He splurged on a biker jacket a few months in. He didn't find out until later that the red was much brighter than he thought it was, but he kept it anyways.)

He was seventeen now- a year away from aging out of the system. That he had managed to even stay in one place for three years was a new record for him, but at this point, he just figured everyone was tired of shuffling him around.

Though come to think of it, he hadn't gotten into a lot of fights since he'd moved here. It wasn't that he hadn't gotten into _any_ \- he'd still picked some, but they had never gotten quite to the point where he had ended up breaking someone's jaw.

But for the most part, he tried to keep his act clean. He just had to hold it together for long enough to age out of the system. Just one more year, and then he could be independent.

What he didn't expect was for _James Griffin_ to walk into the shop one day. Judging from his uniform, he'd managed to get into the Galaxy Garrison. No surprise there. That teacher had been angling to get him in from the start. Probably pulled some strings after he'd missed the recruiter on account of being in the hospital.

He wasn't alone, either. The man with him was dressed in the drab gray uniform of a Garrison officer, but in so far as Keith knew, he could have been anything. All he knew was that James had recognized him right away- and that his jaw had healed up pretty nicely.

Guess having a _mommy and daddy_ to shelve out big bucks for medical care helped. Maybe plastic surgery. He'd broken it pretty bad.

"Keith?" James nearly snorted, half in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"

Not even looking up, Keith wondered if he really had to dignify that with a response. He was covered with oil and tinkering with an engine. What did it _look_ like he was doing?

"Working."

"On a Tuesday morning?" James asked. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

"I don't know," Keith began, "-shouldn't you?"

He didn't get to hear what James' response was, because the officer he was with cut him off. "Cadet Griffin is here with me on official business."

Official business. To a mechanics shop.

Sure, whatever.

"What did you even do, drop out of school?" James asked.

Finally looking up, Keith fought the urge to glower. "So what if I did?"

Whoever the officer he was with was, he seemed to have a good head on his shoulders, because he could sense a fight brewing. Subtly edging himself between the two, he cleared his throat. "So, I take it you two know each other?"

"Yeah," Keith replied, "-I'm well acquainted with his face."

James bristled at that, hand subconsciously flying up to his jaw. Unable to help himself, Keith smirked. Punching James Griffin in the face was one of those things he _didn't_ regret.

"We used to go to school together." James said stiffly. Apparently he didn't want to own up to getting the shit beaten out of him by someone it looked like he could take.

The officer didn't look like he fully bought it, but also chose not to say anything. Wise move.

Instead, he just offered him a hand. "Name's Adam."

"Keith." He replied, holding up his own oil stained hands, Adam quickly catching the drift and lowering his own. "If you're looking for the owner, he just stepped out. Should be back in maybe ten minutes, if you want to wait."

"We'll do that, then." Adam said.

Nodding his head, Keith grabbed a rag, trying to wipe as much oil off his hands as he could. "You can wait in his office."

"Thanks, that'd be great." Adam told him.

James just silently glared at him, but apparently wasn't willing to pick a fight in front of his superior officer. Fine by him. He'd rather not risk losing this job either. His boss could be pretty understanding, but he was pretty sure even he wouldn't forgive getting into a fist fight with one of his customers.

Leading them into Tsuyoshi's office, Keith opened the door, stepping aside. "I'll let him know you're in here when he gets back. You need anything?"

"I'm fine." Adam told him. "You need anything, cadet?"

James just glared at him for a moment longer, before tearing his eyes away. "No. I'm good."

Merely arching his brows, Keith frowned. "I'll just leave you two here then."

Closing the door behind him, Keith released a breath he didn't know he had been holding. It was a good thing that officer had been here, or he probably would have ended up picking a fight. Guess James hadn't changed any since he'd seen him last. It ground his gears that someone like that could be _popular_ , but he guessed as long as the kid he picked on was the weird one, it didn't matter.

A lot of things got brushed over when you were the weird kid.

Forcing that line of thought aside, he went right back to work. Having something to focus on helped, kept him from dwelling on things he shouldn't. He barely even noticed when Tsuyoshi came back, lifting his head in greeting.

"Someone's waiting for you in your office." He told him, and that was that.

If he never had to see James again, it would be too soon.

* * *

Maybe there was some kind of higher power looking out for him, because he didn't run into James again.

Adam, on the other hand, he did.

Turned out, he was a pilot. He learned that because he turned up at the orphanage, serving as a Garrison recruiter. He was a little surprised they were going through the trouble- normally school outreach would get them all the same. But he guessed this was the city closest to the Garrison, so maybe they had stepped up their game.

There was no simulator here, though. Nobody was recruiting _pilots_ from the orphanage. Support crew, mostly.

Either way, he listened with only half an ear. It didn't involve him. He was nearly eighteen- too old to enroll, in so far as he was concerned. He was pretty sure they wouldn't take a high school dropout anyways.

Adam noticed him, and he kind of wished he didn't. Being here spelled out too much of his backstory. So when he looked at him, he just ducked his head, avoiding his gaze. Didn't matter- he'd caught his attention, so he still came to see him after his presentation.

"Keith, right?"

Sparing him a glance, Keith merely frowned. "Yeah."

Taking a seat across from him, Adam gave him a considering look. "You interested in the Garrison?"

Looking at him straight in the eye, Keith lied. "No."

Adam didn't look like he was buying it, so Keith just sighed, scratching his head. "Doesn't matter anyways. Pretty sure I'm too old."

"There's always the late entry program." Adam told him. "Cadets are usually around fifteen, sixteen when they enroll, but they don't have to be."

He'd heard about it, sure. But again, he wasn't exactly the ideal candidate.

Reaching into his bag, Adam pulled out a pamphlet, setting it on the table. "Here. You don't have to keep it if you don't want, but give it some thought."

Frowning, Keith stared at it for a long moment, not making any move to take it. "Yeah. Sure."

That seemed to get rid of him. Once he was sure he was gone, Keith looked back down at the pamphlet, sliding it closer towards him. Thumbing it open, he scanned the first few paragraphs, before shutting it.

He remembered being five, and telling his dad that he was going to go into space one day. The man had merely given him a somber look, but he'd forgotten all about it when he'd ruffled his hair, telling him that if that was what he wanted to do, then he'd be able to do it.

Narrowing his eyes, Keith got up, pushing the pamphlet away from him. He'd missed his chance- if he'd ever had one. He didn't know what had sparked Adam to talk to him, but whatever it was, it didn't matter.

Besides, if he enrolled now, he'd just be ranked under _James_. And no way was he dealing with _that_.

* * *

He turned eighteen to the backdrop of the failure of the Kerberos mission.

It doesn't effect him, not directly. But that's also a lie, because Colleen's husband and son were on that mission, and now they're gone. She's hurt and in pain, and he knows that feeling- he felt it when he lost his father, just as sudden and confusing as things are now. The Garrison said it was a pilot error, but won't specify any further than that.

There's rumors though. That the pilot, Takashi Shirogane, had some kind of muscle defect. They've already started to blame it on that.

Keith doesn't know what to think. He'd always been kind of impressed by him, the way he tore through ranks, earning prestige. It was that kind of dogged determination that he could admire, and yet, he never seemed boastful about it, at least, not from his public appearances. And while he knew that there were those who could put on a facade for the sake of the public, he didn't think that's what he was like.

He'd never know, not really. He'd missed his one chance at meeting him. Just because Plaht City was close to the Garrison, didn't mean that everyone from the Garrison went there. It was pretty big, easy to miss people.

Part of him just thought the Garrison was looking for an easy excuse. He doesn't know why, it just feels that way to him.

He kept wanting to say something to Colleen, but he never could think of anything. Before he knew it, it was too late- he'd turned eighteen, officially too old to continue to stay at the orphanage. It's what he'd been wanting, so he doesn't complain, but he does wish the timing could be a bit better.

In the end, he left without saying anything to her.

Just like he planned, he moved into the shack. It was hard going at first, but he got used to it quickly. There was no electricity, but it's fine. He can charge his phone at work, and it's not like he uses it much- mostly just as an alarm clock.

He bought a camp stove, and learned how to use it. Picking up groceries on the way back from work is easy, and he never had to save anything that's not non-perishable if he just made enough food for that night. He's pretty sure he can hunt if he really has to, but he never does.

He took to wearing his father's knife. He'd found an old belt in the shack that used to belong to him, the one he'd always used to wear, complete with its sheath. He had to adjust it a bit to get it to fit- compared to his father, he was downright scrawny. But the weight of his father's knife- _his_ knife, now- at his back was somehow familiar in a way he couldn't explain.

There's still running water at the shack, somehow. It takes awhile to get the rust out, and he doesn't dare drink it, but it's good enough for everything else. He just buys bottled water in town and drinks that- he's always seemed to need comparatively less of it than other people, like he's able to preserve it better or something.

Who knew, maybe he could. If there's one thing he knows for sure, it's that his body is weird. He doesn't know why, just that it is.

At this point, he's just stopped questioning it. Maybe he's a mutant. He doesn't know. He just doesn't care. All he knows is that it's just the source of most of his problems. Maybe if he hadn't been marked as an _abnormality_ so early on, someone might have actually wanted him.

Sometimes he would swing by the orphanage, with the intent of helping out with the younger kids. The matron had looked at him suspiciously the first time- like she'd expected him to just vanish into thin air the moment he left her doorstep. But then she had just shrugged, and admitted that they could use the help, and if he was willing to give it, then so be it.

Contrary to appearances, he could be pretty good with them. Mostly because he knew what it felt like to be in their shoes. That had been him, once.

He doesn't hate them either- though given the choice, he'd rather not deal with babies. But the slightly older ones... yeah, those he can handle just fine.

He wasn't sure if he could call himself a _success story_ or not. He'd dropped out of school at sixteen and lived out of a shack in the desert. Maybe he wasn't some kind of ace pilot cadet, a rising star at the Galaxy Garrison- but to be honest, was he ever going to be?

No, of course not. That wasn't for him.

From the roof of his shack, he could see whenever they did a launch. He couldn't see the landing pad from it, but he got a pretty good view of the shuttles and the probes they sent up.

They sent up a lot of probes after the Kerberos mission failure. Not so many shuttles.

In truth, he'd been hoping to catch Colleen when he'd gone back the first time. He still felt bad about leaving without saying anything, but by the time he finally got around to swinging by the orphanage, she'd already stopped coming. Something about her only daughter running away.

He was worried about her, but he didn't know if there was anything he could do about it. He posted Katie Holt's missing persons poster to the corkboard in his shack, just in the off chance he saw her. After losing her father and brother so suddenly, he didn't doubt she was going through some stuff too- but running away sounded a little extreme.

...yeah, he'd admit that coming from the dropout who lived in a desert shack, that sounded a bit hypocritical.

But look- he'd made a lot of mistakes in his life. He knew that. But that didn't mean _other_ people had to.

* * *

Tsuyoshi's son disappeared, alongside two other cadets.

It's a huge scandal, but all he can think about is the somber look on the man's face. He'd never gotten a chance to meet his son, Hunk, but he knew just how close they were as a family.

He wanted to say something, but he couldn't think of anything. He's not good at this sort of thing. He can deal with scraped knees and bruised knuckles, but he's not good at words. He never has been.

So he just says nothing. Better that than accidentally saying something he shouldn't.

The mood in Plaht City is understandably tense. Even he notices. He just tries his best to ignore it. He might have one degree of separation from it, but at the end of the day, it still doesn't directly effect him, and there's nothing he can do about it.

He does hear the rumors, though. Some say something crashed into the desert that night. He wouldn't know. He'd come down with a fever, one that hadn't broke until the following afternoon. He was pretty sure he'd spent the entire day in and out of consciousness, half delirious with it.

(In the throes of his fever, sometimes he felt like something was calling to him. It was just the fever, he knew- once it broke, the feeling was gone.)

But tense as it was, life went on. It did after the Kerberos disaster, and it did now. For his part, he just continued as he normally did.

Which didn't mean he never did anything out of his usual pattern. Sometimes he'd catch a movie in town. Sometimes he'd grab a coffee and just sit around, watching people. It was a good place to sit and sketch- he's not very good at it, but it's relaxing, so he liked it. It's not like the coffee does anything for him- he's seemingly immune to the effects of caffeine- he just likes the taste.

(Bitter, like his soul, some part of him that is still an edgy fourteen year old relates. Which is stupid, because he's not actually _that_ bitter.)

Which is how he ended up meeting Veronica.

"This seat taken?"

Glancing up, Keith frowned, closing the sketchbook out of habit. He's a little surprised, to be honest- normally he gave off the kind of vibe that made people not want to approach him. It wasn't his fault that his resting expression was that of a glower, but he didn't exactly always mind the effects.

He wanted to say no, but the coffee shop was crowded, and she looked like she's had better days, so he just nodded his head. Taking that as the _yes_ he meant it to be, she grabbed a chair, before basically collapsing in it.

After which she set down the single largest mug of coffee Keith has ever seen.

Yeah. Definitely had better days.

"Thanks." She told him. "Don't really feel like going back to work quite yet."

Now that she'd mentioned it, he can't help but notice she's wearing a Garrison uniform. Again, no surprise. But Plaht City is just a little far to be ditching work.

"You're with the Garrison?" Keith asked.

Glancing up at him, she nodded. "Yeah. Analyst."

Taking a sip of his coffee, he debated if he should leave. Give her the whole table. Except she might just think he's being rude, and that's only an impression he wants to give off when he actually _is_ being rude. And he's already started talking to her, so...

"I'm Keith."

And nobody asked.

Fortunately, she just gave him a weak smile- and not the kind that makes it seem like she's wondering why this creep is talking to her. "Veronica McClain."

 _McClain_. He feels like he knows that surname from somewhere, but he can't place it.

"So, what do you do?" Veronica asked.

"I uh, work at a mechanic shop." Keith told her. "Right now I'm on break."

"Yeah, me too." Veronica agreed. "The part about being on break. I do not, in fact, work at a mechanics."

He quirked a faint smile at that. "Isn't Plaht City a little far to go on break?"

"Between you and me, I'm avoiding work right now." Veronica admitted. "Got into just a bit of a tiff with one of my superior officers."

"So you're hiding." Keith said.

"I'm hiding." Veronica agreed. "In my defense, it was totally justified."

Arching a brow, Keith tilted his head. "Yeah?"

Nodding her head, Veronica takes a sip- or rather, a gulp- of her coffee. "Yeah."

He got the feeling she wasn't going to specify, which was fine by him. He just drank his own coffee, debating resuming his doodling. But no- there was a reason he never drew when he'd been in foster homes.

Unfortunately, Veronica noticed it. "You draw?"

Inwardly wincing, Keith nodded his head. "Just a hobby."

Tilting her head, Veronica peered at him over the brim of her glasses. She looked curious, and for a second he was afraid that she might press, but instead she just let out a faint hum, leaning back in her chair. "Good hobby."

Letting out a breath, his shoulders slumped. She must have caught it out of the corner of her eye, because she just let out a faint laugh. "You don't have to worry. I grew up with three younger siblings. I can tell when someone doesn't have to share."

He didn't miss the way her face fell a little as she said that.

"Just personal." Keith told her. "But thanks."

Nodding her head, Veronica took another huge gulp of her coffee, before heaving a sigh. "Guess I'd better get back to work. You'd swear someone stuck something up Admiral Sanda's ass."

He wished he hadn't been drinking his own coffee when she said that, because he was pretty sure he choked on it. She just looked at him with a wry grin, brow arched in amusement. "Let's just keep that between you and me."

"Somehow I don't think that'll be a problem." Keith told her. "Did you really come out all this way just for a cup of coffee, though? It's like, half an hour from here to the Garrison."

"You ever try the Garrison's coffee?" Veronica asked.

That should have been obvious. "...no?"

"Good," she said, "-don't. It sucks."

"Duly noted." Keith said.

Picking up her coffee, Veronica just gave him a faint smile. "Maybe I'll see you some other time, Keith."

"Yeah," Keith said, kind of doubting it, "-maybe."

It was only after she left that it hit him. Veronica _McClain_. As in, _Lance_ McClain, one of the three vanished cadets.

Three younger siblings.

Leaning back in his chair, he couldn't help but think that now all he needed to do was meet one of _Pidge Gunderson's_ relatives, and he'd have collected the whole set.

(He already had, but he'd find that out much, much later.)


	2. part two

Part two of the prologue finished! I spent some time debating how I wanted to tell this half, but I settled on telling it through the paladins- and Krolia. Since the whole theme is this one degree of separation, I wanted to discuss it from their point of view, what they might have heard or not heard about Keith. That said, please look forward to the rest! I will probably post the sequel/main story, _flicker_ , in a couple of weeks, so keep your eye out! It will be its own posted story, not a direct continuation off of this one, which is meant to serve as an extended prologue.

Until then~!

* * *

 **one degree of separation**

 **part two**

* * *

"There's a student missing."

He didn't miss the way the teacher did a double take at his words. For a second, it almost looked as if she didn't know what he was talking about.

"If you're referring to James Griffin, I believe we briefed the Galaxy Garrison on his circumstances already." She said.

They had. He'd heard- something about getting into a fight with another student, and ending up in the hospital. But that wasn't who he was talking about.

"I've already been briefed about him." Shiro told her. "I'm talking about this one. Keith Kogane."

He definitely didn't miss the brief expression of disgust that flickered across her face. "I suppose your list wasn't updated then. Keith was expelled yesterday."

From the sound of it, she was _glad_ to see him go. Narrowing his eyes, Shiro couldn't shake the sense of unease that brought him- what kind of teacher was happy to see a student expelled? That didn't sit right with him.

"Expelled?" Shiro asked. "Can I ask what for?"

"Getting into a fight."

She doesn't specify, but the implication is fairly clear. This was the other student that James Griffin got into a fight with, the one who had landed him in the hospital. It sounded damning, but in Shiro's experience, people didn't normally lash out _that_ violently without some kind of reason.

Which, granted, didn't mean the reason had to be a _good_ one. But without meeting this _Kogane_ kid, he'd never know for sure.

"It's probably for the best." The teacher continued. "Keith was... _is_ a discipline case. I don't believe he'd be the right fit for the Garrison."

He can't help but arch a brow at that, because there's something that makes it sound like he'd actually be _considered_ for it if not for the fact that he'd been expelled. It caught his attention, enough to nearly make him want to ask after the kid, but he doesn't end up with the chance.

But it sticks out in his memory.

This is his fifth school, and he's got countless others after this. But years down the road, he'd still remember the kid that got away.

Somehow, he got the feeling that this wasn't the last he'd hear of him.

* * *

Turns out, he's right.

He just didn't expect it to be from _Adam_.

"You remember that kid, the one you missed?" He'd asked, and he did. He knew who he meant right away. He was just surprised that _Adam_ had remembered. Yes, he'd mentioned it to him- but it had only just been the one time.

"You mean Keith?" Shiro asked.

"I met him today." Adam remarked. "When I went into town."

Blinking at that, Shiro sat straight up. He was not ashamed to admit that he had been all but collapsed on their shared couch- today had been a rough day, for any number of reasons. But what Adam said more than caught his interest.

"You're sure it was him?" Shiro asked. "I didn't think he'd be in Plaht City."

Adam just hummed. "You know how I took Cadet Griffin with me, right?"

Merely arching a brow, Shiro put two and two together. "Ah."

"When I asked how they knew each other, kid told me he was well acquainted with James' face." Adam noted, visibly fighting the urge to snort, and he couldn't help but feel the edge of his own lips quirk into a grin. Breaking another student's jaw wasn't necessarily something to be proud of, but he had to admit, there was something about how brazen he was about it that was somehow entertaining.

He'd found all that out later. James Griffin was given another shot at recruitment, on account of what a promising student he was. He'd gotten in with flying colors, and had proved his skill quickly, gaining the rank of a fighter class pilot.

Shiro just kind of always wondered which kid actually _started_ the fight.

He'd been wondering what had happened to Keith after that. Keith wasn't the first kid to miss recruitment day, but he was the first and _only_ one to miss it on account of having been expelled the day prior. "So where'd you find him?"

"Mechanic shop." Adam said. "Apparently he works there."

Arching a brow, Shiro frowned. "I thought he was the same age as James?"

"Dropped out of school, from the sound of it." Adam told him.

He can't help but wince at that. That... didn't sound good. "But he has a job?"

"Mm," Adam nodded, tilting his head in consideration, "-you sound pretty worried about this kid, Takashi."

He wasn't wrong. Frowning, he ran a hand through his forelock, trying to think of a reason as to why it bugged him so much. "I don't know what it is. I just feel like I could have done something. Maybe if I'd been there a day earlier..."

"You can't save everyone." Adam pointed out. "He seems fine, though. Not happy to see James, but I can't say he was happy to see Keith either."

"No, I'd imagine not." Shiro admitted, dropping his hand. "They didn't...?"

"Do you honestly think I would let one of our cadets get into a fight?" Adam asked, arching a brow.

"Right, stupid question." Shiro admitted.

"This isn't your responsibility, Takashi." Adam told him.

"I know." He said. He did know that, actually.

"Look, I'll tell you what," Adam began, "-the Garrison has me on recruitment duty for the next few months. I'm hitting up a whole bunch of places that we normally don't go to. If I see the kid, I'll pass on some information about our late enrollment program."

Shiro flashed his boyfriend a grateful smile. "That'd be great, thanks."

"Don't thank me now," Adam told him, "-I don't even know if I'll see him. Or if he'll accept."

"Maybe not." Shiro admitted. "But I'd like him to know the option's on the table."

Maybe that would help with this strange sensation of having _failed_. Like there was something he was supposed to do, that he hadn't.

Maybe it was just because _he_ could remember being an angry kid once. Sure, he'd been a few years older than Keith would have been at the time, but he'd been just as angry.

Being given the diagnosis that he had would do that to just about anyone.

Sure, maybe he'd never broken anyone's _jaw_ , or even picked any fights. But it had left him with a lasting impression- and the knowledge that that sort of anger had to come from _somewhere_.

He wondered where it came from for Keith.

* * *

Adam did find Keith again, as it turned out- in an orphanage.

Which- yeah, that explained some things.

He remembered it well, since it was one of the last conversations he'd had with him. After their fight about the Kerberos mission, they kept their distance from each other.

Frankly, he was surprised that Adam had even bothered under the circumstances. He quickly chided himself for that thought- Adam wasn't that sort of person. It wasn't that he didn't understand where he was coming from either- he did.

His time- _their_ time- was limited. Adam wanted to spend it together.

But he wanted to spend it doing something great. He knew that if he passed up on this chance, he would never get it again. Sam had stuck his neck out for him because he was still in prime condition- who knew if he'd be willing to take the risk even two, three years down the line.

He had to take this chance while he still could.

He couldn't- wouldn't- blame Adam for backing out. Maybe when he came back, they could work things out.

He never realized at the time, just how _long_ he would be gone.

* * *

The first time she heard of _Keith Kogane_ , it was from her mother.

It had been a passing remark at first- one of the kids that she was tutoring at the orphanage had an essay on the Calypso mission. She didn't think much of it at the time- but then again, she'd only been what, eleven?

But he kept being brought up.

It was clear that her mother was really invested in this kid. For awhile, she wondered if she was planning on bringing him home, maybe trying to adopt him or something- but she never did. She didn't know if she would have minded or not- she wasn't opposed to the idea of having another brother, but having a stranger around the house that she had to call _family_...

...it had felt a bit awkward, at least back then.

Besides, none of the kids her mom tutored ever stuck around long. Either they were adopted or they were sent elsewhere, to new foster families. She assumed it would be the same for this Keith.

It wasn't.

She quickly learned two things about Keith Kogane, other than his name- that he had been written off as a _problem child_ , and that he was a source of frustration for her mother. The latter had made her feel indignant- all her mom was trying to do was help, so who did he think he was, rejecting her at every turn?

She had half a mind to storm up to the orphanage herself, and demand answers.

She didn't, in the end. Mostly on account of the fact that she had just barely turned twelve, so transportation was a bit of an issue.

Besides, if there was one thing she knew about her mom, it was how stubborn she could be. Heck, that's where she'd gotten her own stubborn streak from. That was just how Holt women were, she'd told her once.

But apparently, so was Keith. That was the third thing she learned about him- how stubborn he was.

"He's planning on fixing it himself." Her mother had stated one day at dinner.

"Does he know what he's doing?" Her father had asked.

"Not a clue." Her mother freely admitted. "But he's stubborn. I'm pretty sure he'll figure it out."

 _It_ turned out to be a hoverbike. One that had belonged to his father. It had been sitting in storage, held in trust for him ever since he was eight years old- and Pidge had grimaced, thinking about it. She quickly did the math- Keith was sixteen- that was the fourth thing she learned- so it had maybe been sitting, gathering dust for nearly _eight years_.

Maybe she was more into code than she was the technical side of mechanics, but even she knew that had to take a toll on any engine.

"You know," her father said, "-I might have some old manuals lying around. Think he might take them?"

Her mother seemed to consider it for a moment. "I don't think even _he's_ that stubborn."

Nodding his head, her father beamed. "Good to hear it. I'll search for them after dinner, so you can pass them on to the kid."

When she heard about him next, she learned that he'd finished repairing his father's hoverbike. He had then promptly taken it out without getting permission from the matron of the orphanage, and had disappeared for two days straight, before showing back up like nothing had happened.

The matron had been furious- she had just been about to declare him a runaway.

According to Keith, he'd just lost track of time. He never said where he disappeared to, or why. If her mother ever found out, she never told her.

She remembered coming home from school one day, to find her mother on the phone. She'd caught her eye, pressing a finger up against her lips in the universal signal that she needed some quiet. She'd nodded her head, quiet as a mouse as she put her backpack away.

"He should be free whenever." She heard her mother say.

"Mm-hm. That should be fine. I'll be sure to tell him." She said. "Good talking to you, Tsuyoshi. Let me know how things turn out."

Hanging up the phone, her mother smiled at her. "Have a good day at school?"

"Yeah." It was a lie, she hadn't. She'd only just been teased again, but she didn't feel like going into it, not right now. "Who was that?"

"Tsuyoshi Garrett." Her mother told her. "A friend of mine."

"The one who runs the mechanics'?" Pidge asked.

"That's the one." She told her. "I was trying to see if I could get Keith in for an interview."

Keith again, she thought. For someone who never seemed grateful for it, her mother sure did put in a lot of effort. "I thought he was sixteen."

"Mm-hm," her mother said, "-he's opting to drop out of school to look for work instead."

She froze at that, staring at her mother. She had said it like it was something so simple, but dropping out of school? That was serious, wasn't it?

Instead of saying that, all she said was- "oh."

She didn't hear about Keith much after that, just that he had apparently gotten the job. It made sense- her mother worked as a tutor, and he wasn't around to tutor anymore.

Then the Kerberos mission failed, and she didn't care about anything else.

Then she became a paladin, and thinking of Earth and her mother just hurt. Maybe Lance and Hunk had vanished on their families when they had gotten shot into space too, but she'd run away from home months prior.

At least she'd left a note.

Too bad it didn't say anything about her being flung across the universe.

* * *

The first time he'd heard about _Keith Kogane_ , it was from his father.

It was a long weekend, so he got permission from the Garrison to visit his parents. Maybe Plaht City wasn't _that_ far away, but it was far enough that visiting his parents every weekend wasn't that easy. He didn't mind- it just made seeing them again feel more special, and he was always confident in the knowledge that they were just half an hour away if he ever really did need them.

"Hired a part timer."

Looking up at his father, Hunk blinked. "Like you've been talking about?"

His father hummed. "Yup. Got a good recommendation from a friend of mine. You remember Colleen, right?"

"The lady you met on park cleanup day?" Hunk asked. "Yeah, I remember her. She's nice."

"She does some tutoring." His father remarked. "Asked if I could use one of the kids she works with. Keith."

Hunk felt his brow furrow. "Wait, tutoring? So... is he a college student?"

"High school." His father said. "Or was. Dropped out."

"Wait, so you hired a dropout?" Hunk asked.

"One with a record." His mother mildly chimed in.

"Don't be like that." His father said. "I've got a good feeling about this kid. Just went a little astray, that's all."

He frowned a little at that. He knew his father was a pretty good judge of character, and he didn't think Colleen would have recommended just anyone for the job. But still...

"Don't you think it's a little risky?" He asked, instantly feeling guilty for it.

"Nope."

And that was the end of that conversation.

For all his worries, Keith turned out to be the _opposite_ of a problem. His father's small shop had gotten more in demand lately, so having an extra set of hands around proved to be a huge help. He heard from his mother that his father didn't come home exhausted half as often as he used to, and that the new part timer was working out like a charm.

Heck, he'd been invited over to dinner once. Hunk had tried to make it, but he'd gotten a bad bout of food poisoning, ironically enough, and had been confined to bed in his dorm. He should have known the meatloaf was a mistake.

He never heard too much about Keith, other than that. He knew maybe two things about the guy- that he was good with his hands, which was like, a given, considering where he worked, and that he had like, a touch of colorblindness or something.

Oh, and that he could really lift some serious weight. So, three things. He knew three things about Keith. Or _four_ , if you counted his name, which he didn't- so yeah, three things.

It wasn't exactly like his schedule at the Garrison left him with a lot of free time to visit home, or even call his parents as much as he wanted to. On top of the simulator, all engineering cadets had their own courses to attend- of course, the same was true for the pilots, but the workload of each was a little different.

At least he got to be on Lance's team. He didn't know what to make of the _Pidge_ kid, when they first joined a year in, but he was interested in getting to know them better- too bad he couldn't say the same for Pidge, who acted like they were always trying to keep their distance.

In the end, they ended up with that chance anyways.

Sure, it was because they had been like, shot into space, and flung to the other side of the universe. Not to the other side of the _galaxy_ , oh no- that was too close. It had to be the literal _other side of the universe_.

A universe which, by the way, had been conquered by _evil aliens_. Did he mention that? Because he really should mention that.

He tried not to dwell on home. He missed his family. He missed them so much. If opting out was like, really an option, he would have gone for it- at least before the Balmera, he would have. But that... that changed something in him.

Proved that there was a _reason_ they were out here.

He missed his family. He missed them so much. But they would be there when he got back home.

Right?

* * *

He'd never actually heard of _Keith_ , at least, not by name.

But he had heard of him.

James Griffin had been his goal back at the Galaxy Garrison. He was the best pilot in their class, so naturally, Lance had made him his goal. His rival.

He knew he'd gotten into the Galaxy Garrison on pure luck. There just... there weren't that many kids interested in it at his school, weird as that sounded. Who wouldn't be interested in _space_? The kids in his class, that's who.

At first, Lance had allowed the fact that he'd gotten the best score on the simulator at his school get to his head. He'd gotten to level three! Almost everyone else crashed and burned on the first level, some on the second, but barely anyone had made it to the third level like he had. Heck, he'd just about made it to the fourth!

(He would maintain that the only reason he didn't was because he had gotten distracted. That was all.)

It wasn't until he actually got to the Galaxy Garrison that he discovered the harsh reality. Big fish in a small pond, who moved to a bigger pond only to discover he wasn't actually that big. That's what he was.

At the Galaxy Garrison, he wasn't the best. Far from it. He was at the bottom of the ranks, with another kid his age named Hunk. He quickly became good friends with him, best buddies, in fact.

James Griffin had also been a big fish in a small pond. He'd come from a small school out in the sticks, where there was hardly anyone to challenge him.

But he was the real deal.

And smug about it, too. At least, he thought so. It really ground his gears just how popular he ended up being- couldn't they see it? Or was it seriously just him?

That was why when he learned about Keith, he'd been _ecstatic_.

Again, the name was something he learned much, much later. But the deed? Oh man, the deed. The deed he knew about.

Any kid who had broken James Griffin's jaw was a cool dude in his book.

He knew about it because he overheard him complaining about it. He hadn't been trying to eavesdrop, he swore! He'd just been in the right place, at the right time, just in time to hear him grumble to one of his friends about running into _that damn kid_ in town.

"You mean the one who broke your jaw?" Nadia asked, which had caused him to pretty much just drop whatever it was that he had been doing. Heck, he didn't even remember what it was.

"He didn't _break my jaw_ ," James grumbled, "-he just dislocated it."

"Still had to go to the hospital." Nadia noted. "Why did you say you got into a fight with him again?"

"Look, it doesn't matter." James had insisted. "He was just a jerk with a temper problem. Who knows why he decided to punch me?"

Okay, that just sounded like an evasion. Was it just him? It wasn't just him, right? Either way, decking James Griffin? Iverson's golden boy? The cadet all other cadets were being compared to? He'd have paid good money to see that.

Here he was, stuck at cargo class.

Yeah, okay, maybe he was bitter. He'd admit it! He was totally bitter! It still didn't change the fact that whoever this kid was, he deserved a goddamn _medal_.

He barely heard about Keith after that. At least, not that he was aware of- sure, Hunk mentioned the part timer who worked at his father's shop like once or twice, but he had no reason to put two and two together, or even think they were related.

But man, did that ever stick out in his memory.

Even after he'd followed a strange dream, and ended up getting launched into space. _With_ Takashi Shirogane, he might add, who he'd ended up rescuing like, the night before.

So now he was in space, piloting a giant robot lion. Its _chosen_ pilot, he might add.

So yeah. James Griffin could eat shit.

He hoped that kid decked him in the face again.

* * *

Kolivan had neglected to inform her that the paladins of Voltron were humans.

Or close enough to it. The red paladin, Allura, was Altean. But she was not present when she arrived at the Castle of Lions, having gone into the quintessence field with Lotor.

The very same thing she had hoped to prevent.

In the chaos that followed, she had little chance to ask. She convinced herself that the odds were low- there were thousands, if not millions of humans residing on the planet Earth, so the odds that they would know of her husband and son were next to nothing.

It was only after everything had calmed, that she dared chance the question. As it so happened, their destination was Earth- and with the Castle of Lions destroyed and the power cores of the lions depleted, it would be no easy journey.

But a necessary one. The only one with the plans for a ship like the Castle was the green paladin's father, and he had since returned to Earth, in hopes of bolstering their defenses. From what she recalled of the planet, they would be sorely needed.

Her husband and son were on that planet.

True, she had never married Heath. But he had given her a ring, and placed it on her second finger, and told her it was a custom of married couples on his planet.

That ring was one of the few mementos of Earth she had dared bring with her.

She was aware that her position with the paladins was tenuous at best. Though the Blade of Marmora had a strong alliance with the paladins, she had been in deep cover for years, and had gone without a single mention until she had shown up on the Castle of Lions, with a cosmic wolf and an Altean in tow.

She did not even have her blade to prove herself.

Without Romelle, she did not even know if they would have allowed her to board, still clad in the armor of a Galra lieutenant as she was. Much less that they would have bought what news she had to bring them- that of Lotor's crimes, heinous in nature.

Very little fazed her. Seeing those Alteans, being slowly drained of their quintessence... she'd had to force back bile.

She did not even know if she would be making the journey with them, or if they would simply drop her off at the nearest Blade of Marmora outpost. But she must- for with Lotor's defeat, the situation would become worse than ever.

She had left Earth once to protect those she loved. Now she knew she had to return to it, for that very same reason.

"I have been to Earth before."

The statement caught the paladins off guard. Romelle, it did not. She had spoken to her once before, of her half-human son, and how she had left to protect him.

"Because of the blue lion."

Glancing up at Allura, Krolia rested a hand on the cosmic wolf's head, lightly stroking it. She had found it on the space whale, the strange creature she had taken up residence on during her long journey through the quantum abyss. It had followed her, and eventually, she had let it- if it had chosen to stay with her, it had likely done so for a reason.

"Yes." She told her. "Zarkon created a way to track the lions at close range. Scouting parties were sent out to find them, and Kolivan made sure to insert as many Blades as he could into them. I was one of them."

"And you went to Earth?"

Turning her gaze towards the black paladin- _Shiro_ , Krolia nodded. "Yes."

"So what, did you not find it?" Lance, the blue paladin, fittingly enough, asked.

"No, I found it." Krolia told him. "But my ship was damaged, and I ended up stranded."

"Huh," Hunk- the yellow paladin- frowned, "-so how did you get back to space?"

"Zarkon sent a second scouting party when the first did not report back." Krolia stated. "I was able to steal one of their ships. After neutralizing them."

The statement was flat, without emotion. Their deaths had been swift, but she had nearly been tempted to drag them out. They had come so close to killing Heath that she... but in the end, she hadn't.

She had killed them, though.

"So how long were you on Earth for?" Pidge- the green paladin- asked.

"Almost three deca-phoebs." Krolia said.

"Wait, so you lived on Earth for three years?" Hunk asked. "And nobody found you?"

She quirked a faint grin at that. "I didn't say that."

The implications were not lost on the humans.

"When my ship crashed, I was rescued by a human." Krolia stated. "He taught me much about your planet, even assisted me in finding the blue lion."

Her expression softened. "We fell in love."

Her words were met with silence, only to be broken by Shiro. "You had to leave him."

Looking his way, she nodded. "Yes. But he was not the only one that I left."

"Wait," Lance furrowed his brow, "-are you saying...?"

"I had a child, yes. A son." Krolia stated. "When I left Earth, I left him behind with his father. I imagine he would nearly be nineteen, now."

"So uh," Hunk chewed on his lip, "-is he like... was he purple?"

Letting out a faint snort, Krolia merely arched a brow. "Do you think I would have left him there if he were?"

No. If he had been more Galra, she would have brought Keith with her. Dangerous as it was, it would be safer for him than Earth, where many still foolishly believed they were alone in the universe. But he had been born as human as his father, and thus, would have no issues with passing as a full human.

Even his sclera were white. Human genetics, it seemed, were dominant over the Galra. How fitting then, that nearly four fifths of Voltron were human.

"Right, not purple." Hunk said. "Got it."

"So he's what, half-human?" Pidge asked. "I mean... I guess that makes sense. We know from Lotor's generals that the Galra are a pretty versatile species."

"We are capable of reproduction with many races, yes." Krolia stated flatly, watching as the cheeks of those gathered reddened, save for that of the Altean advisor and the black paladin.

Ah yes, children, she thought.

Pulling on his mustache, Coran gave her a considering look. "You sound as if you wish to come back with us."

No use in hiding what was obvious. "I do."

"I don't have a problem with that." Shiro stated. "If Krolia hadn't come to warn us about Lotor, we never would have known what he was really like. And I'd probably still be stuck in the black lion's consciousness. Allura?"

Yes. That. That had been quite the event, Krolia thought, gaze briefly flickering towards him.

"I have no issue with it." Allura stated. "Though our alliance with the Galra Empire was short lived, the Blade of Marmora has served as our allies for quite some time now."

"And I'm not exactly one to speak out against reuniting families." Pidge stated.

"It's fine with me." Lance said with a shrug. "Hunk? What about you?"

"Yeah, I'm good." Hunk said. "But uh, just one question- does your son have like, a name?"

"I wanted to name him Yorak," she recounted, "-but my husband convinced me that _Keith_ was a better option."

"Keith." Shiro stated, flatly.

"...Kogane?" Pidge's voice almost seemed to crack.

Perking up, Krolia blinked. "Yes. Do you know him?"

She had not been prepared for the barrage of conversation that her question would unleash. Quick enough so that she barely managed to get in a single word of her own, just barely able to follow along with it.

"Wait," Hunk piped up, looking between Pidge and Shiro, "-you two know Keith?"

"I mean, not _know_ , exactly," Pidge frowned, "-my mother used to tutor him. But I've never actually met him."

"I missed him on recruitment day." Shiro related. "Just kind of stuck out to me."

"He works for my dad, but I never actually met him either." Hunk stated. "Wait, so you're saying, we've _all_ heard of the guy, but none of us have actually _met_ him?"

"Uh, I for one, haven't heard of him." Lance said, holding up a hand.

"He punched James Griffin in the face." Shiro told him.

"Wha- oh man, that was _him_?" Lance asked. "Okay, yeah, in that case, I have heard of him."

It took her a moment to fully parse the varied responses, but she was able to quickly gather one thing- that all the humans present had in some way heard of her son. They were tenuous links at best, but they were, invariably, links.

But what caught her attention the most was the hard set of the Altean princess' eyes, as she watched the paladins chatter about the great coincidence that this all was.

Perhaps not.

Unbidden, a single memory floats to mind. It was not one that she had seen in the quantum abyss, blessing her with images of a child that she had no seen since his infancy.

Heath, holding Keith in his arms, gazing upon him as if he were the greatest treasure the universe had to offer. Their son, a miracle of coincidence, sleeping peacefully in his arms.

 _"You know,"_ he'd told her, _"-I think he's destined for something great."_

She had never asked what.

She just remembered she had agreed.


End file.
